Wake Up in Your Arms
by Outsiders Obsessor
Summary: AU to the movie in which Steve lives. When Diana saw Steve's plane explode in the sky, she was quickly filled with a fire to rid the world of Ares once and for all. With her mission completed, she heads for the last place she saw Steve's plane to find something falling from the sky. "It's Steve!" she shouts. Rated T for mentions of death and war injuries. Part One of AU Verse One.


**Wake Up in Your Arms**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to DC and any other respective owners that I may not know. Also,** ** _Wonder Woman_** **is the only DC superhero move I have seen in my entire life. In addition, I have seen** ** _Suicide Squad_** **before** ** _Wonder Woman,_** **but there are not very many universal plots or overarching parallels that I know currently within the DC universe. My apologies if I get any facts wrong regarding the DC universe as a whole. Obviously, this is an AU, but do not hesitate any other facts I may have wrong. Without further ado, happy reading and enjoy the story!**

The world is burning around Diana, flames engulfing the air she breathes and sending embers flying through the air like a bird's wings soaring above the clouds. Soot covers the landscape and the faces of the men coughing nearby, each one looking like he has seen a ghost. Diana stands, shield in one hand as she peers around the battlefield for any traces of Ares. Upon finding nary a trace of the Greek God of War, the Princess of the Amazons determines she has defeated her war-ravaged brother. _For now._ A twinge in her back reminds her just how much she has collided with during the fight with Ares. Diana moves her arms to relieve some of the aches, and her shield moves accordingly. It is then that she caught sight of Steve Trevor's watch. Diana's breath hitches in her throat, and she tries to piece together the conversation she had with Steve before her final fights with Ares. Steve had told Diana he loved her, and Diana distinctly remembers him wrapping his hands around hers and depositing the watch. All Diana remembers after that touching exchange is a streak of fire that lit up the sky with the power of a thousand burning suns.

"Steve…" Diana whispers, thinking of the fuel the explosion had given to her spirit and reason to fight.

The Princess of the Amazons stands before sprinting towards where she saw the plane explode, an event which seems like a lifetime ago.

Diana's advance towards the site is suddenly pierced with concerned voices rising over the chaos of soldiers screaming in both hopelessness and reassurance that the Great War is over.

"Diana!" an accented voice calls, and the Amazonian woman spins around to see Sameer, Charlie, and Chief looking at her in what can only be described as desperation.

"You did it! Ya sure showed that Ares lad how strong of a lass ya are!" Charlie cheers, fishing around in his pocket for his flask. "A toast to Diana Prince!" the Scotsman shouts, his eyes widening as he takes a swig of whiskey.

Diana remains silent, offering only a soft half-smile as she turns her attention back towards the night sky, searching for any sign of hope or a sign to put her troubled mind to rest. She can find neither hope nor despair, so Diana turns to face the three other men from her journey, three of the bravest people she will ever have the pleasure of knowing. In order to not be unnecessarily rude, Diana accepts the flask from Charlie, taking a quick sip of the drink the Scottish marksman favors. She doesn't criticize the burning sensation as it travels down her throat; Diana notices its presence, but if anything, it is the punishment the daughter of Zeus feels she deserves. After all, it is she who led Steve Trevor to his untimely death. For that, Diana would never forgive herself.

She doesn't realize she is crying until a pair of strong arms enfold her, tightly wrapping around her like a snake a snake around its prey. Looking up, Diana realizes the arms belong to Chief, and the smuggler gently smiles down at the strongest woman he knows.

"I'm sorry for my useless tears," Diana speaks up, knowing that the death of one man should not torture her the way Charlie is tortured every day when he sees the hundreds of men he has been responsible for killing.

Shh, Diana. There are no useless tears surrounding death," Chief assures before starting to gently hum in a language Diana does not know, but understands is meant to be comforting.

Diana relaxes in Chief's embrace and catches sight of Sameer moving in her peripheral vision. He moves to hand Diana a handkerchief to wipe both her eyes and nose.

"Thank you," Diana whispers, her ears still ringing slightly from being thrown around like a doll in the wind. "For everything," she adds before switching back to her warrior of steel persona.

"No problem, sweet Diana," Sameer assures, offering her a small smile and his eyes look darker and more melancholy than Diana has ever seen the actor appear. "I understand the pain you must be feeling. Steve Trevor was—is an extraordinary man," he continues, his breathing becoming more shallow as he thinks of his best friend and partner in espionage. "Steve was one of my best friends in this whole world. His presence alone could brighten a room, and he was always a good source of humor," Sameer remembers fondly, thinking of all the missions he and Steve went on together. "He saved my life more times than I can count. Even when he knew it meant certain death for him, Steve always had a large, kind heart until the end. And I cannot thank him enough for that," the aspiring actor continues, tears starting to drip down his face from his usually bright, brown eyes.

A flash of silver catches Diana's eyes, and she breaks out of Chief's arms faster than anyone can process.

Free from Chief's embrace, Diana soars through the air, racing towards the glowing silver falling from the sky.

"Diana!" Chief shouts after her, beginning to run to try and keep the Amazonian Princess from doing anything rash. "You don't know what that is falling from the sky!" the Native American smuggler cautions. "It could be another gas canister, Diana!" he warns, running underneath her like a kid racing under the shadow of an eagle or a hawk.

"It's not!" Diana assures, pure emotion on her face as she leaps towards the falling silver.

"Then what exactly is it?" Sameer calls upwards to Diana in French out of a force of habit.

"It's Steve!" the female warrior shouts happily, moving to scoop the figure into her arms as she braces her body for the impending impact with the unforgiving ground.

"She's gone bonkers, she has," Chief comment from the ground. "Remind me to never give her anything from me flask again," the Scottish marksman directs to Chief and Sameer.

"It _can't_ be Steve!" Sameer insists, though part of him desires to hold onto hope. "We saw him die! He _exploded!_ Even Steve Trevor could not have survived this," he continues, this statement coupled with a truly grim expression.

After all, Sameer and Steve survived many life-threatening missions and raids before, but neither of them ever took this long to "come back to life", as Steve used to word it.

Diana, oblivious to the conversations and muffled shouts behind her braces her body for impact. She hits the ground at an awkward angle, and was she not an Amazon, Diana would have several broken bones from the severe force of her landing. Sameer, Charlie, and Chief stumble to a halt, each man gasping and turning as pale as a sail before speaking.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Charlie exclaims, barely able to contain his overwhelming enthusiasm.

"Steve!" Sameer gasps, sitting on the ground to see his best friend's crumpled form lying next to Diana's muscular frame. "I can't believe you didn't explode, old friend!" the actor grins, though the smile quickly fades as he realizes that Steve isn't breathing, moving, or talking.

Usually, Steve Trevor can be heard loudly completing two of these actions simultaneously, a fact that currently startles Sameer.

"His path is not yet finished," Chief speaks up, looking to the sky for answers.

"Help him," Diana forcefully remarks, not a question nor a request, but a demand. "Such a good man cannot die so easily," the Amazonian woman expresses her thoughts on the matter, peeling the glowing silver that caught her attention in the first place from Steve's shoulders.

"I will try my best, but I need space," Chief speaks up, and Diana allows herself to be a spectator on the side with Charlie and Sameer.

She begins to pray for the life and soul of Steve Trevor, just in case he does not make it through even with Chief's help and care.

When Chief calls Diana over, the warrior princess does not hesitate and is sitting in front of Steve with concern and love written on her face.

"How is he?" Diana inquires, doing her best to stay both strong and hopeful simultaneously.

"I've done all I can for him, but it still doesn't look so good," Chief honestly reports. "Maybe it's best if we respect him as a soldier and begin to grieve," he suggests, and Sameer and Charlie cannot help but agree.

"He's gone, Diana," Charlie remorsefully comments, tears staining his face in the process. "I'm sorry. Steve was a great mate, but we've done all we can for him," the marksman already haunted by death announces to Diana.

"He is gone, _ma chérie_ ," Sameer joins in, using French words of endearment to try and cushion the blow for the Amazonia princess so unused to death, particularly the death of a man. "Steve would be proud of you, _notre soldat fort et dévoué,_ but he died fighting for what he believed in. There is no greater honor for a soldier," Sameer explains, hoping the last statement will resonate within Diana.

The warrior princess takes a single, shaky breath before expressing her thoughts on the matter, no matter how cruel they may sound.

"How could you? How could any of you stand for this?" Diana shouts, her voice cracking slightly as emotion creeps through. "Steve Trevor _saved_ you; he saved _everyone!"_ she reminds, the intensity in her voice rising. "I cannot believe none of you will help me save him the way he saved you!" Diana chokes on her own words as they tumble from her lips in a steady stream.

The others practically break down when they hear Diana sound as desperate and vulnerable as she does now.

For a warrior so strong and gifted in battle, Diana has never had to deal with death firsthand before. First came the death on her Aunt Antiope on Themyscira, the only death Diana has ever witnessed; she didn't even have time to grieve before following Steve on his journey back to Britain and to the front in France not long after that. Not used to grief, the death of Antiope weighed on Diana, affecting her more than she cared to reveal to her male friends, companions, and allies. And now, to lose Steve as well… Though Steve had only entered Diana's life such a short time ago, his heart and spirit left a permanent effect on Diana. Though Steve had not been by her side her entire life as Antiope had, Diana happily went into battle by his side, trusting Steve Trevor entirely. She could do nothing to save her Aunt Antiope, but Diana would rather burn alongside Ares instead of giving up on Steve as well.

Charlie, unbeknownst to the Amazon princess, has moved to sit next to her and Steve's body. He gently places a hand over hers, looking into her eyes with a knowing expression.

"Diana, I will help you," the Scottish marksman murmurs, plenty of emotion written on his face.

"You will?" Diana gasps at the touch of Charlie's hand on hers as she feels her heart flutter in hope and appreciation.

"Aye, lass," Charlie affirms, detaching a satchel from his shoulder where it will not hang limply over Steve's body. "I've been responsible for many deaths; I won't let Steve go without a fight at least," he makes known to the Amazon beside him.

Diana simply nods and watches as Charlie takes his hands and forcefully presses them against Steve's chest with as much strength as he can muster.

"Come on, lad," Charlie utters under his breath, pressing down again on the American spy's toned chest. "Come on, now. Ya can't die on me, Steve!" Charlie shouts, a pained expression on his face. "Ya can't die on me," he continues, his voice a faint plea to Steve Trevor.

"Someone needs to breathe in his mouth to see if his lungs need air," Chief speaks up, sitting down behind Diana. "His heart may be beating, but he needs air from the ground, not the sky," the Native American explains to the confused Scotsman to his immediate right.

"Look, Steven an' I are great mates, but I am _not_ putting my mouth on that man's! No tellin' what will happen!" Charlie point blank refuses before turning to face Diana.

"Diana, if you would be so kind," Sammy sheepishly grins.

Diana simply sighs lightly before dropping her head down and beginning to breathe life into Captain Steve Trevor, all the while sending a silent prayer to Zeus for a second chance.

The world suddenly blurs into focus, and Steve Trevor gulps in a large quantity of air. He wakes up in Diana's arms with his ears ringing incessantly and his body severely aching, but he is _alive and safe._

"You should be dead!" Diana yells as loud as she could, her throat feeling raw from being thrown to the ground during the fight with Ares.

Her voice catches in her throat, thick with emotion as she practically throws herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She can't believe it. How was this even possible?

 _How was it possible?_

She couldn't wrack her brain enough to try and find that out right now. Diana is solely focused on the person in front of her, arms snaking around his neck to help support his head.

"You should be dead," Diana states again, her voice softer this time as tears begin to prick at her eyes. "By all rights, you _should_ be dead," the Amazonian princess whispers, brushing her right hand through his light brown hair. "Don't you understand that?" Diana questions, looking down into those deep blue eyes and wondering why Steve is simply grinning like an idiot as he remains silent in Diana's embrace.

"I do," Steve finally answers, his voice like gravel as he struggles to talk around the extreme pain and discomfort shooting up his right side and through his left hand. "But, I'm kinda glad I'm not. Let's be thankful for that, huh?" he barely has it in him to laugh, but a soft chuckle is able to escape his lips anyway.

"You're such a fool," Diana accuses, her fingers stopping near his forehead where a gash about four inches across and two inches deep has taken residence. "Why would you ever offer to sacrifice yourself for me?" she questions, using a slightly harsh tone with him as she wants Steve to understand how utterly stupid she thought his plan was. "Last time I checked, you are not an Amazonian woman," Diana manages to get sarcastic at a time like this, even though her heart is racing faster than a rabbit's.

"No," Steve whispers, titling his head upwards with more effort than typically required,

He locks his icy blue eyes on her chocolate brown ones, memorizing every part of her face where he can remember it when they eventually part ways.

Because, in his experience, the women he thinks he gets along with the best end up leaving him the quickest. It's only a matter of time before she leaves, too….

"But, I am a man in love, Diana," Steve admits, his light blue eyes positively glowing as he looks up at her. "And that makes me crazy enough to do just about anything," he confesses, his breath hitching slightly as he winces. "Especially for you," the American spy adds to his declaration of love, and, oh, how he would capture those lips with his if only he had the strength to life his head right now.

Diana simply stares down at him, pure love shining in her eyes for her first love, first kiss, and first man she has ever encountered. At the risk of sounding too redundant, Steve begins to silently express his gratefulness and pure luck at waking in Diana's arms. He isn't sure if he mentioned it out loud, but Steve Trevor is almost entirely sure Diana's embrace is the safest place to be after a war or crisis. In fact, Captain Trevor actually can't remember most of what he has said all day with the exception of distinctly remembering he told Diana that he positively loves her.

The entire world feels foggy to Steve, and he realizes he can only faintly hear Diana as she whispers due to the incessant, unrelenting ringing in his ears. The ringing coupled with the pounding of blood in his ears makes it incredibly hard to hear anyone right now, so he barely hears Diana whisper "I love you" before she gently tilts his head upward so not to jostle him as he remains in her arms. And then… And then, she kisses him on the mouth passionately, and with as much love and worry she can simultaneously convey. Their eyes close, and Steve wishes he had enough strength to stand up, or at least enough to wrap his arms around her neck as the kiss deepens. The American spy can just barely hear whispers coming from a short distance away; when he and Diana break away in order to breathe, Steve opens his shimmering blue eyes and turns to face his friends and brothers in arms.

"Anything you boys want to share with the class?" Steve inquires in a serious tone of voice, trying his best to mimic a teacher he had in high school.

That certainly catches the men's attention, and they all rush over to help Diana and Steve stand up. Honestly, Steve can say he has never been happier to see his friends. They- and Steve himself- had thought their brave and kind Captain and friend Steve Trevor had died. They thought he had _exploded_ with the plane of flammable and deadly gases.

And, wow, did it feel good to say that Steve _didn't_ explode with the deadly mustard gas Dr. Poison had perfected over the years.

"Steve!" Sameer, Charlie, and Chief all shout at once as they help pick the wounded and rattled soldier up from the ground. "You're alive!" the three men cannot help but announce, smiles on all their faces.

Steve shares a smile with Diana, as he remembers in her arms with the feeling of her lips on his.

"You did it, Diana!" Chief cheers, giving the Amazon a bear hug as he stands beside her.

"Thank you, Chief," Diana grins, allowing herself to be enveloped inside his massive, protective arms. "But, I cannot take all the credit. Charlie did the chest compression while I simply…" she reminds, only to trail off when she can't think of the proper words to use.

"Exchanged breath with Steve while ya had your lips on his?" Charlie teases with a giant grin on his lips to let Diana know he is merely joking.

"Very funny, Charlie," Steve manages to smirk, a twinkle appearing in his depthless blue eyes even as he bites back an involuntary wince. "Thank you, Diana, for not giving up on me. I owe you my life," he kindly remarks, attempting to bow but feeling his muscles protest harshly against the action.

"I simply was repaying the trust and kindness you gave to me, Steve Trevor," Diana explains, her eyes soft and war, as she looks at the four men around her, all smiling like they have not been happier in more years than just the last four. "Besides, the four of you fought to give the world domesticity with breakfast, going to work, and getting married," she continues, repeating fragments of her conversation with Steve in Veld as she smiles at them. "I figured the least I could do was let you all see the peace and happiness you brought back."

A round of "huzzah!"s go around between the circle of friends before they either hug one another or clap someone on the back. Steve feels himself beginning to sway as Sameer wraps his arms around the American soldier's in camaraderie.

"How did you manage to find a parachute, Steve, you clever fox?" Sammy inquires, thinking back to their mission years ago in Africa when Steve pulled a similar stunt. "Only you, _mon cher ami,"_ the Moroccan spy laughs, gently pushing his hands against Steve's muscular chest like brothers do when horsing around with each other.

"I can't—I can't-" Steve starts to say, his voice a grave whisper as he tries to focus his eyes on Sammy's face to give him some grounding. "I can't remember, Sammy," he remarks in a worried tone, his head swimming as if through fog. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Those are the last words Captain Steve Trevor utters before he collapses; Sameer barely manages to catch his best friend before shouting rapidly in worried Mandarin to Diana.

Steve inhales sharply, feeling a shot of pain travelling up his side and leg as well as a reverberating pounding in his head. The American spy tries to bolt upright, to survey his surroundings, only to feel a strong, soft pair of arms wrap around him and settle him down on the pillow behind his back. Steve Trevor's dazzling blue eyes slowly focus in on the room around him, realizing he is on a military cot inside of a rather large room in which hundreds of other wounded men are lying, many of them with blood soaking their crumpled forms. Upon focusing on the scene around him, Steve can make out Charlie and Sameer standing on either side of the cot with Chief keeping a vigil at the foot of the bed. Which must mean that the arms wrapped around him can only belong to….

"Diana?" Steve inquires in a raspy voice, doing his best to tilt his head up to look at the woman responsible for saving the world and its people from the Great War.

"You must remain still, Steve Trevor," Diana gently commands, carding one tanned hand through Steve's light brown hair. "The doctors have proclaimed your life to be a miracle," the Amazonian woman relays to Steve as she slightly relaxes her embrace around his shoulders and neck.

"Aye, lad. Less than a fifteen percent chance of ya survivin' that explosion, the doc said," Charlie adds in to the tale, gently pinching Steve's exposed toes that are no longer hidden in the blanket.

"And all because of that parachute you found, Steve!" Sameer reminds his best friend as the wounded spy relaxes in Diana's grasp.

Steve can hear their voices and see their faces. But, he can't remember. He can't hear _properly,_ and he knows that is a new development. His hearing, though damaged during the ever-present onslaught of bullets during the Great War, had never failed him this badly before. Steve Trevor is scared to his wit's end right now. How was he still alive? What was happening? Was he even really alive? Could this all be a hallucination?

Steve starts to struggle once more, lashing out at the darkness threatening to reclaim him once more. Diana's arms tighten around Steve again, this time around his torso, pulling gently at the man's chest, making Steve wince and shout in pain as a result.

"What happened to me?" the American spy nearly shouts, his voice not as strong as it is at full strength.

The reason for his sudden, uncharacteristic outburst is the view he has just seen of his own body.

He's covered in bandages and scars.

Entire sections of his body are covered in soot and second-degree burns.

His left hand is missing its middle, index, and pinky fingers.

Steve wants to scream in pure terror.

He also wants to scream in gratitude.

 _At least I'm alive…._

 _At least I'm alive…._

"Steve?" Sammy gently inquires, calling his friend's name as the American spy begins to weep, tears sliding down Steve's nose like a burst water pipe. "Steve…" the Moroccan man continues, only for Steve to look in the opposite direction. "Steve!" Sameer shouts, hoping to regain his friend's attention.

Steve can hear noises at that volume, so he struggles to turn his injured body towards the voice of his best friend and partner in espionage.

"I can't hear very well, Sammy," Steve announces, still processing the almost incessant ringing in his ears. "I could only hear you when you talked louder and even then I wasn't sure where you were," the American spy admits, his light blue eyes threatening to close at any moment.

"Steve," Diana gently calls, close enough to his ears where he can hear her but not loud enough to startle him. "Do you still want to know what happened to you?" she inquires, not wanting to captain to suffer from an incurable sense of dread and curiosity.

Steve simply nods, doing his best to keep his eyes open and not fade back into the blackness that had claimed him before. He focuses his gaze on Sammy, Charlie, and Chief while training his ears to listen to Diana's recount of all that has happened to him.

"You've got a long road of recovery ahead of you, my friend," Sammy honestly, yet remorsefully, remarks, moving to place a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder before remembering all of the American's wounds.

That's Steve's current mission: get well enough to leave the army hospital alive.

Over the next couple of days, Steve receives enough information from the doctors, his friends, and his dear Diana to piece together his condition and overall miracle of his current existence. Apparently, when he should have died in the plane explosion, Steve managed to find a parachute and somehow- in a statement Captain Steve Trevor is rather incredulous towards- he managed to _open_ said parachute and sail to the ground. In addition, upon reaching the ground, his body was already forty percent covered in scars and second-degree burns that are now all covered by bandages, ointments, and poultices twenty-four hours a day. To add more unfortunate results from sacrificing himself for the greater good, or so he thought when he pulled the trigger, Steve's index, pinky, and middle fingers had to be amputated due to the increasingly threatening nerve damage, leaving Steve's left hand fifty percent less useful and flexible as it had once been due to losing those three crucial fingers. In the American spy's mind, it seems medically impossible for him to survive the explosion.

 _"_ _At least I'm not left-handed,"_ Steve thinks to himself with a half-smile, grateful that he will still be able to write and hopefully complete daily tasks that came almost second-nature to him prior to the explosion.

And that's when it hits him. Steve Trevor knows how he is still alive.

Days blur by, and Steve cannot move out of the bed, so mostly the days are filled with conversations and playing cards Charlie had somehow managed to find. At first, Steve stubbornly maintained the belief that he could hold cards and play them with his one remaining whole hand, despite both his hands being wrapped nearly entirely in thick bandages and gauze. Cards had flown from his fingers as quickly as words depart from lips, leading to chuckles and smirks from Charlie, muffled complaints and the occasional curse from Steve, and sympathetic looks from Diana, Chief, and Sameer. In addition, Charlie usually received elbows to his ribs or stomach from either Chief or Sameer whenever the Scotsman would dare to laugh at their truly unfortunate war hero. Whenever Steve dropped his cards, Diana would pick them up for the wounded American spy; Steve would always put on the most dazzling smile he could produce amongst all the incessant pain shooting throughout his body. Eventually, Diana offers to simply hold Steve's cards for him and play them when necessary. Neither Diana nor Steve can keep from blushing when their hands meet under the thick blanket pulled over Steve's bandaged torso. He knows it will be a long road to recovery given his extensive injuries, but Steve believes with as much confidence he can possess that if Diana is near his side, he can accomplish the impossible.

It has been a week… Or two… Or three… Captain Steve Trevor is not entirely sure. Etta Candy is set to arrive within the next few days to see the incredibly brave, selfless man she is under the employ of now that she has reported to his family that one Captain Steve Trevor is miraculously alive, thanks to an informant phone call from Diana to fill in Miss Candy. Meanwhile, until then, the four men continue to play cards with one another, teaching Diana along the way. It's currently Charlie's turn to deal, so he takes the deck of cards into his calloused hands before making them nearly dance in mid-air. Diana simply clears her throat, an action that catches the attention of her male comrades and allies almost immediately. The Amazonian woman sighs deeply before revealing a problem that has been troubling her since realizing Steve has enough spirit and fight in him to survive his crippling multitude of injuries, albeit with certain difficulties.

"Steve, I have a confession to make," Diana reveals, moving to sit at the foot of the cot where she can look Steve in his eyes.

"All right, shoot," Steve responds, furrowing his brow slightly as he wonders what Diana could have to confess to him when they've only known each other such a short time.

And yet, he had improbably fallen head over heels in love with Diana, Princess of Themyscira, in that incredibly short period of time.

"Shoot? Steve, there is no one here that is evil or trying to destroy the world," she questions his choice of words, unsure of his comment's true meaning. "No one even has a gun in this room. Why would I shoot?" the Amazonian woman continues to inquire, and although guns seem to be missing around Steve's bed, the spy is sure there is a gun somewhere in the massive military hospital.

"No, no, Diana," Steve chuckles, laugh lines appearing on his face that no one has fully seen since the explosion nearly claimed his life. "It's an expression," he begins to explain, only for the woman he dubbed Diana Prince to cut him off.

"Really? Well, then what does it mean?"

"Well… It really means to tell someone whatever is on your mind."

Diana simply knits her eyebrows together, still confused and soon to voice such a matter to Captain Trevor as he shifts slightly in the bed.

"You know, get it out into the open with a clear goal," Steve further attempts to explain, hoping Diana understands, for he cannot think of any more phrases to explain what he means.

A beat passes before Diana responds to his more detailed explanation.

"You men are very confusing," she deadpans, now understanding the phrase, yet not knowing why Steve didn't just simply say that in the first place.

"Aye," Charlie agrees with her assessment of men.

"That is why we need women who understand us," Sameer beams at Diana, his natural charm causing Diana to smile back at him in a mutual respect and understanding. "We appreciate how women understand us even when we don't understand them," the aspiring actor jokes, though he is entirely genuine and appreciative through the words of his statement.

"Their gift comes from within the heart and touches our souls," Chief adds in, the slightest grin crossing his lips in return.

A moment of silence is granted as each member of the rag-tag war heroes group reflects upon the truth of their statements.

Steve, realizing Diana still has not gotten to reveal her confession due to the unintentional ambiguity of his word choice brings the conversation back to its original purpose.

"So, Diana, we got a bit off topic here," the American spy reminds, wanting to get back to the conversation at hand. "What exactly is on your mind?"

"Well…. Now, don't laugh," Diana gently commands, knowing how Steve will react.

"I won't," Steve states in an honest tone of voice, now even more curious as to what Diana has to say.

"Promise?" the Amazonian woman inquires in a serious tone of voice.

"I promise," Steve tells her, making the move to cross his heart and almost wishing he could wrap Diana's lasso around his wrists to physically show her he is telling the truth since he knows how important promises are to her.

"I don't," Charlie guffaws, a smirk on his lips, and Sameer lands a well-deserved slap to the back of the Scotsman's head.

"I drank some alcohol before you came back to life because I was afraid you wouldn't make it, Steve! Forgive me," Diana blurts out, her words pouring forth like a river.

"Forgive you?" Steve is taken aback by her plea. "For what?" he questions in a confused tone.

"I was impure and took part in that which is evil for Amazonian women to take part in. May you and Zeus both forgive me."

"Diana, you don't need forgiveness. There's nothing for me to forgive."

His shimmering blue orbs meet her chocolate brown ones, and a moment passes where they simply gaze at one another in silence.

"Even if I were to be mad at you, which I'm not, you still have no need to apologize to me," the American spy reveals, and Diana listens closely to the next words that follow. "You're a strong woman, Diana. You can make your own choices on what to drink," Steve assures, a smile playing on his lips as he compliments not only Diana's physical strength, but also her intelligence and upstanding moral character.

"Almost everyone in this world takes a few drinks now and then with the war going on so long," Chief adds in, not wanting Diana to feel inferior or impure in her actions that she was a part of when Charlie offered his flask simply out of habit.

After all, everyone noticed how Diana took the drink from Sameer in Veld to be kind, but they knew she had not kept it for herself and left it idle on the fountain.

" 'Sides, don't ya have that God of Grape Harvesting that kinda encourages drinkin', lass?" Charlie wracks his brain for anything he can recall from the Greek mythology he's learned.

"Yes, we do," Diana admits, realizing that maybe her actions weren't as impure as she thought.

"There! Ya see?" Charlie beams, glad he helped Diana overcome her guilt she has carried for weeks now. "Good ol'- What's his name?" the Scotsman draws a blank and looks to Sameer and Steve for help.

"Dionysus," Sameer supplies, shucking another coat on to battle the draft starting to enter.

"Dionysus! Thanks, Sammy! He wouldn't mind a wee bit if ya took a sip from me flask to calm your nerves," the Scottish marksman concludes, thinking of how in his experience drinking can eliminate fear and extreme sorrow. "Happens to the best of us," he mumbles, realizing just how far down the rabbit hole he has gone.

Diana smiles at him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder before gently squeezing it to serve as encouragement. How lucky she is to have friends and allies in the four men around her.

Later that night, while Diana, Sammy, and Charlie are asleep, Steve's light blue eyes remain open, and he tries to shift around on the cot without waking Diana or Sammy who are sleeping on either side of him in wooden chairs. Charlie, though regularly haunted by nightmares and his inner demons, is a surprisingly heavy sleeper otherwise.

" _Most likely to make up for his tormented nights,"_ Steve muses in his head, but if asked, no one heard that from him.

"You should be asleep," Chief whispers, shifting in his chair before fixing his gaze on the stubborn Captain Trevor in a way similar to how Steve's own father used to look at him.

"Could say the same about you," Steve smirks, hissing under his breath as he turns over onto his other side in attempts to get comfortable.

"You know I still feel a need to keep watch over everyone," the Native American smuggler reminds, his long legs nearly to the foot of the cot even though he is sitting a considerable distance from the cot even though he is sitting a considerable distance from the cot to keep watch over everyone.

"Yeah, I remember, Chief," the American spy comments, the piercing pain in his side subsiding, for now. "That why you couldn't let me die?" Steve switches the conversation to what he believes is a more pressing issue right now.

"What do you mean, Steve? We all had our parts in bringing you back to the hospital to get treatment," Chief feigns innocence, furrowing his brows, though the darkness obscures this movement.

"But, you played a bigger part in keeping me alive, didn't you, Napi?" Steve inquires, though there is no accusation in his tone, merely looking for an explanation on his miraculous and frankly impossible recovery that will continue for an unknown stretch of time.

"How—How do you know-?" Chief trails off, knowing that he never introduced himself like that to anyone, save for Diana.

"I learned Blackfoot since the last time we met up for a mission. Thought it might be helpful in case you needed to give me secret messages or clues."

"Steve, I—I don't know what to say."

Chief rarely stammers, so Steve is sure to note the uncharacteristic tone of Chief's voice.

"You purposely had me wake up when Diana and Charlie helped me, didn't you?" Steve whispers, thoroughly intrigued by the idea.

He has read about the folk lore surrounding Napi since the last time he and Chief met up, and Steve doesn't believe bringing him back is beyond the Native American demigod's skill set.

"Yes," Chief's admission is straight to the point. "Your path was not supposed to end that way, Steve. I told them that before I worked to save you. Diana's lips were the key to reviving you; I made sure of it," he explains, standing up and adding another blanket to Diana's curled up form.

"Why?" Steve laughs, his blue eyes filled with mirth and pure gratefulness at having such dedicated friends.

"She loves you _so_ much, Steve," Chief comments in a whisper, catching Charlie's flask as it almost tumbles to the ground. "She loves all of us, but she has fallen in love with _you._ As improbable as it is in such a short time, it's _very real._ You both showed so much love and devotion for each other, even before…"

"Even before we danced and kissed," Steve happily sighs, realizing how taken he's been with Diana the entire time despite the brevity of their entire relationship. "And you let Charlie because he couldn't bear letting me—"

"Exactly. So, I hope you are pleased," Chief assures.

"Yeah, of course!" Steve whisper-shouts. "Thank you, Chief. It's a pretty neat history and skill you have."

"But, you'll never tell them, right?"

"Never. Long as you don't, pal."

"I'm the one who pulled it off unnoticed," Chief reminds, and Steve laughs.

He may be broken, bloodied, bruised, and bandaged, but Steve Trevor would never be beaten. As long as his heart is still beating, Steve would never give in, even if the road to recovery will be tantalizingly painful and extensive.

 **Author's Note: And there it is! My first** ** _Wonder Woman_** **FanFiction! Let me just say that this one has taken me since the start of October to write because I am incredibly busy with school since I am a senior in my high school's IB department which is more rigorous and challenging than AP if you don't know. So, in that time, I saw** ** _Justice League_** **on its opening weekend and actually really enjoyed it! Before** ** _Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman,_** **and the two** ** _Guardians of the Galaxy,_** **I was not really into the superhero and supervillain comic book movies. Now that I've seen the four of them and** ** _Justice League,_** **my mind has been changed! I now want to see** ** _Man of Steel_** **and** ** _Batman Vs. Superman_** **where I can build my DC universe knowledge? Any other suggestions on what I need to watch? Oh, and this was originally going to be a much shorter fix-it piece, but the characters just wouldn't stop talking to one another! I know Steve had to die in the movie to give Diana a major lesson in sacrifice, love, etc. and give her the fuel to defeat Ares, but I sincerely wish she and Steve had gotten more time. As of now, I believe I have fifteen or so more** ** _Wonder Woman_** **story ideas that I will try to write when I have time; some will follow canon and other will follow this plotline. In addition, I have like eight stories for the** ** _Justice League_** **verse, several of which will contain Steve X Diana (Stiana in my mind). Anyway, hope you all enjoyed; reviews would be very much appreciated on what you enjoyed, think I need to fix, or what you want to see in later fics, etc. Until then, have a great day, afternoon, or night! Until next time!**


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